Rail flaw inspection mechanism



G. L. JONES RAIL FLAW INSPECTION MECHANISM Filed Aug. 4, 1936 Y 3 L M if 7 mEM 4 1R WG "H 1. 5 7 mm A w 1 w i m 1 i fl ill 6 AU M 2% m4 a. 4 MW. 9 5 4 4 WW 0 5 w 7 2 Q 2 Z O O lI|4||| 0\ 5 m w E April 30, 1940.

Patented Apr. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES I 2,199,1os

RAIL FLAW msPnorro MECHANISM George Lester Jones, Garden City, N.. Y., assignor to Sperry Products, Inc, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation ofNew York Application August 4, 1936, Serial No. 94,177 V 3 Claims (01. 175-183) This invention relates to rail flaw detector mechanisms of the type employed upon the Sperry rail flaw detector cars. The principle upon which these cars operate is nowwell known and consists in passing current between spaced points on the rail to establish an electromagnetic field surrounding the same. Said field will be uniform except in the region of a flaw where it will be distorted, and such distortion is detected by means such as one or more pairs of induction coils to generate an E. M. F. whichmay be caused to operate suitable indicating mechanism. Such mechanism may take the form of a recorder or.

other suitable indicator within the car and a rail marking mechanism such as a paint gun ternal defects which-it is the object of the detector mechanism to detect, and which of them is caused by surface defects'which are not harmful and which do not affect the utility of the rail.

' It is the principal object or this invention to provide means which facilitate the investigation of said paint marks by hand testing. In an average test day there may be as many as 200 such paint marks, so that the necessity for rapid investigation of these marks will'become apparent.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description thereof.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view of a portion of a car having my hand test equipment applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the Figure 1 mechanism, the car roof having-been removed.

Referring to the drawing, I have disclosed'a car I0, only a portion of which is shown,said

car riding upon rails R. This car mayibe the standard Sperry rail fissure detector car which 55 pose of investigating the marks left upon the rail by the detector car. My hand testing mechanism is the same in eithercase'and is similarly mounted upon the respective. car; In either case I mount upon one end of the car It! an open supporting frame-workiwhichmay comprise side elevated or ineffective position.

truss members II, 'I I, cross member l2 joining said truss membersat the outer ends, and cross member I2 joining said truss members adjacent their inner ends, said truss members being fixed to the frame I4 of thecar body at their inner ends. The side members II, II extend upwardly from the frame I4 to permit mounting the various mechanisms thereon. Fixed to each truss member I I, I I at spaced points are two fluid pressure cylinders I5, I6 and I5, I6, the cylinders l5, I5 being'preferably adjacent the car III while the cylinders I6, It are positioned outwardly of the car at a predetermined distance of several feet.- Fluid pressure to each pair of fluid pressure cylinders I5, I6 and I5, I6 may be separately controlled by means of valves H, II within the car body It. Each valve controls the supply of fluid pressure to both cylinders of the respective pair,

the said cylinders having a common fluid pressure supply pipe 20, When the operator within the car discovers a paint mark on the rail which should be investigated forpossible internal defect, he positions car ID so that the paint mark appears within the open frame-work II, II, I2, I2 between cylinders I5, I6 or I5, I6.

The open frame-work enables the operator tolocate the hand test mechanism carried thereby inproper position with respect to the paint mark on the rail. or IT to permit fluid pressure, such as compressed air, from a source, such as tank -within the car, to be delivered to the respective pair of cylinders I5, I6 or I5',"I6. I This causes piston-rods such as 26 and 21 (a similar set of piston-rods, not shown, operate out of cylinders I5, I6) to be depressed against the action of springs 28, 29 which normally maintain said piston-rods in Each of said piston rods'carries'at its .lowerends a current pad 29, 30, 29, 3!) said pads being connected by The operator then opens valve II suitable cables 3| and-32 to a generator 33 within the car body. The cylinders I5, I6 and I 5, I6

members 36 carried'by the truss members II, II

and are ,so positioned that the piston-rods and their'current pads will cooperate with therespective-rail to engage the same when said pads are lowered. When the pads engage the rail,

they close the circuit from the generator 33 through the rail to pass current ,through the rail between the pads. The presence of an internal defect within the rail will cause an increase in For measuringthe variation in potential drop from point to point along the rail in the region of the paint mark, I provide a mechanism responsive 

